29 January 2009

Clawdeen was one of the Princess of Power toyline's odd characters in that her design was never fully understood by the many artists who interpreted her. In the Filmation cartoon she was based on their stock lion design from their Tarzan cartoon, painted pink. When compared to the toy design it may not have been a bad choice to go down that route. The Ladybird book artists actually did a good job of representing the character, the best being one-shot artist Glenn Steward. Unfortunately the worst looking design appeared when Robin Davies illustrated her in "Spirit is Kidnapped"; she was made to look like a giant cat and without the mane she looked ridiculous. And yet I still look at this image and think that Robin Davies could do no wrong!

28 January 2009

Here are some great panels from "The Story of Teela" which appeared in issue fifty-seven of the UK Masters of the Universe comic. The sadness of the Sorceress is incredibly well illustrated, as is the image of Man-At-Arms leaving Castle Grayskull with her daughter. It is also nice to see Teela growing up in the lower two panels, which clearly indicate that she was already a highly capable warrior in her early years!

27 January 2009

I think this page from issue sixty of the UK Masters of the Universe comic detailing the process that a vehicle goes through is quite insightful. Often in the various canons vehicles would show up and we would not question their appearance. I like the idea that for the first time we are shown the lengthy and arduous process that many vehicles go through. The first panel showing Man-At-Arms working hard, followed by the finished product in the following panel is perfectly balanced. The last panel almost has a depressing feel to it; as if the warriors successfully tested the machine, but now Man-At-Arms must go back to the drawing board...

26 January 2009

"She-Ra and the Golden Goose" is one of few Ladybird books that Robin Davies did not illustrate, and it shows! Artist Glenn Steward is not a bad artist by any means, but the dramatic shift in style is noticeable. Whereas Robin Davies' artwork could be appreciated by boys as it was action-based, Glenn Steward's style appears to target girls only! Of course this may have been a conscious decision by the people at Ladybird books. This interesting illustration shows She-Ra in the Crystal Castle with all her friends around her. This illustration of course follows the toy line, but it does look like the characters have all gathered in honor of She-Ra. It is nice to see the later characters Peekablue, Fluttertina and Sweet Bee...

25 January 2009

The Ladybird book "Shadow Weaver's Magic Mirror" features an extremely rare appearance by Hordak's Horde Troopers. This illustration would be one of the few times that Robin Davies drew these characters. It is worth noting that his style seems to alter for the Horde Troopers, giving them black areas of shading, something he would rarely do in his illustrations on the She-Ra books. It is even more evident as Hordak and Shadow Weaver are drawn in his more traditional style...

24 January 2009

In this spectacular image from the Ladybird book "He-Man and the Asteroid of Doom"Skeletor orders his slaves to fire the large magnetic beam projector at an asteroid in an effort to control it! If you look carefully, aside from seeing Skeletor pointing to the skies above, you can also see two of his Skelcons operating the machine.

23 January 2009

Yesterday's Blog entry may have had you scratching your head, but here an accompanying illustration, or quite possible a homage, from another Masters of the Universe coloring book. As this was a few years later the illustration is based on the Filmation designs of He-Man and Skeletor, but that does not stop the image from looking overly comical! I love the way Skeletor's feet are both off the ground, as if he is sprinting for his life. And I have to ask, is that even a sword He-Man is holding?

22 January 2009

Here is a slightly comical illustration from one of the earliest Masters of the Universe coloring books showing He-Man chasing after Skeletor with the Sword of Power raised high above his head! The images throughout these coloring books were often quite serious, and based on the earliest canons of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. However I find this illustration to look completely out of place as it looks too comical. Now be prepared for tomorrow...

21 January 2009

Here is an illustration from the She-RaSeries Bible showing one of the first artistic representations of the Twiggets that dwell within the Whispering Woods. These characters look a lot more like the Trobbits from the FilmationBlackstar cartoon than their final Princess of Power character designs. Also it is worth noting that even at this early stage the method for naming the Twiggets is already in place; Sprockett, Sprig and Sprinkle. And is it me or do they look slightly evil?

20 January 2009

"The Planet of Plants" from issue nine of the UK Masters of the Universe comic features an interesting last couple of panels featuring Battle Cat without his armor, looking an awful lot like Cringer. I always find this scene amusing because there are not that many green and yellow-striped tigers on Eternia and yet Buzz-Off, Moss Man, and King Randor appear to be oblivious! Having said that, if you go all the way back to the Blog entry Witnesses! from over three years ago you will see that Cringer's dual identity was not that much of a secret...